Serpents In My Mind
by Calcifer179
Summary: Harry Potter may be famous, but Saiph Lestrange is infamous. Her parents were ranked among the Dark Lord's top lieutenants and they were loyal to the end, be it death or Azkaban. Ten years after Voldemort's fall and the daughter of Bellatrix Lestrange is young, beautiful, enigmatic...and has a growing affinity for the dark arts. (Eventual OC/Neville)
1. Chapter 1

**Serpents In My Mind**

**Chapter 1-**

It was a sharp, obtrusive knock on her bedroom door which stirred Saiph from the half-sleep she had struggled the whole night to find. Rolling herself over she stared up at the ceiling, the dark knots and scars in the wood painting an utterly unfamiliar picture, and it took her a few moments to recall where she really was. Stretching her stiff body, she released a groan as her back arched with a satisfying crack. At some point during the night hours she had kicked her covers off, or perhaps she had never drawn them over herself in the first place. Either way; they were now tangled up at the foot of the bed, though somehow the cold hadn't bothered her in the slightest during her restless sleep.

Apparently the lack of reply from inside was no disincentive, for a few moments later the door cracked open and the currently spiky and electric blue head belonging to Nymphadora Tonks peered into the gloomy recesses of the bedroom. When her equally blue eyes had adjusted and she could make out the other form in the dark, Tonks moved lightly across the floor and took up a position on the edge of the bed, crossing her legs beneath her, and folding her hands in her lap.

"Morning, Cous'," she lilted in an incredibly irritating sing-song kind of voice that no one should have to deal with so early. "Sleep well?"

"No," Saiph huffed, halfheartedly trying to swat the errant girl away. She had always had trouble sleeping in unfamiliar surroundings, and though she had now been living with her aunt and cousin for what was close to a month, her new bedroom at No.9 Acorn Drive was still exactly that to her; _unfamiliar_.

Tonks chuckled at the younger girl's expense, "Well, I have something for you." She produced a paper envelope, seemingly out of thin air, and dangled it above Saiph's nose. "Arrived by owl just this morning."

Curiosity peaked, Saiph sat forward and propped herself up on one elbow, reaching out sightlessly for the letter. Her cousin whipped out her wand and pulled the curtains back with a wave, and after Saiph had recovered from the suddenly blindingly light pouring into her bedroom, she warily inspected the thick green script detailing the heavy parchment, instantly recognising the Hogwarts seal on the front. She tore the envelope open and let the contents slide out into her waiting hands.

"Dear Miss Lestrange, we are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry..." She trailed off, having read enough to get the general gist of the letter.

An equal sense of both excitement and dread welled up in her chest. A part of her had stubbornly believed she'd never even receive this letter, and though she knew there were no real grounds to deny her an education at Hogwarts, it had still been a constant fear nibbling at the corner of her mind. Another part of her entirely, rather childishly didn't even _want_ to go, didn't want to be subject to any more stares and whispers. However, she ruthlessly forced all these thoughts down, doing her best to lock them up tight, so that they might not surface again.

"We're heading to Diagon Alley right after breakfast, to buy all the school supplies you'll need."

"Sounds good," Saiph muttered, dropping the letter down on the coverlet and running a hand through her tousled hair, blinking to try and rid the sleep from her eyes.

"Of course, you'll have to get out of bed first."

Saiph tried her best to smirk at her cousin, "I'll be down in a minute. You interrupted my beauty sleep."

Tonks grinned lopsidedly back, and then swiftly departed, closing the door securely behind her. After her cousin's exit, Saiph sighed and dragged herself out of bed, padding across the carpet to the small dresser that had come with the room, as had all the furniture. The quarters were quite a far cry from what she'd been used to, living with her grandfather, Cygnus, at Grimmauld Place. But he'd passed last month and her aunt Andromeda had gained guardianship over her. The woman had stubbornly refused to move into the ancestral Black family home, and so instead, Saiph had been moved into the Tonks residence. She supposed she couldn't rightly complain though. It was that or she move in with the Malfoys. Just the thought brought a shudder down Saiph's spine. Having to share accommodations with her _other_ cousin, Draco, wasn't something she would have cared for. One of them would likely be dead within a week. Pulling a rather simple Muggle made jacket and a pair of jeans from the dresser, she tossed them over her arm and ducked across the hall and into the bathroom, where she showered quickly. Finally, she donned the clothes and snatched up the Hogwarts letter again, folding it into one of her pockets, and made her way downstairs, somewhat enticed by the smell of warm breakfast that was drawing her in.

"Ahh, she's awake at last I see. Excited for today?" The warmth in her aunt's greeting genuinely surprised Saiph, and also confused her a little. The woman had clearly been trying her best to take up the role of the maternal figure missing from her niece's life, albeit the effort and the heartache were often clear behind her eyes. At these times, Saiph found herself imagining that the woman was seeing someone else entirely within her likeness, and it was hardly a stretch to guess who that someone was. The relationship between Andromeda and her older sister had never been an easy one, and there was an eerie resemblance between Saiph and her mother. The same thick, shiny raven hair, heavily lidded dark eyes, pale skin and strong, almost arrogant jaw line.

Pulling herself back into the present, Saiph forced herself to answer her aunt, almost forgetting what her question had been. "Oh, yeah. It'll be great."

The older woman considered her for a second, obviously skeptical of her false enthusiasm, she let it slide by however. As with every morning, Andromeda had prepared a small feast, which was spread out across the dining table in the light and airy kitchen, and Saiph sat down quickly across from Tonks. She tried to eat her breakfast as unhurriedly as possible, but the incessant twinge of anxiety in her gut sorely affected her appetite. Still, she wasn't about to get in the habit of taking her aunt's cooking for granted, and steeled herself to force the meal down. Cygnus hadn't been able to cook in the slightest, and though Kreacher could certainly produce appetizing looking food, you could never be entirely sure where exactly it came from. The house-elf, while an undeniably useful little beast, ranked among the more unpleasant beings in the wizarding world. Saiph had attempted cooking for herself on a number of occasions, though each endeavor ultimately ended in disaster, likely because underage and without a wand she had been forced to try and cook Muggle-style, and so she had given up on the idea quickly, though the visible testament to her efforts still survived in a few scorch marks above the stove that even Kreacher couldn't get rid of.

"Okay," Andromeda began after she had magically cleared the dishes from the table. "We'll have to make Gringotts our first stop, these school supplies are never cheap."

She walked them into the living room, where the three of them lined up in front of the couch facing the large brick hearth. With silent agreement, Tonks stepped forwards first and dipped her fingers into a quaint yet elegantly sculpted pot on the mantelpiece, coming back with a fistful of glittery Floo powder, she then ducked into the fireplace.

"The Leaky Cauldron!" She shouted clearly, winking at Saiph as a burst of brilliant green flame engulfed her, and then within an instant the Metamorphmagus was gone.

Andromeda wordlessly ushered Saiph into the hearth after she too had grabbed a handful of Floo powder. The young witch held her hand flat and palm up in front of her, the silvery powder trickling from between her fingers.

"The Leaky Cauldron!" She repeated and tilted her palm to the side, tipping the powder out onto the ash and charcoal blackened bricks at her feet. There was a brief flare of emerald, and then the grates and fireplaces of countless wizarding homes and dozens of stores were flashing by in a nauseating blur, and it felt as if her breath was being sucked away from her. It was only when Saiph spotted the recognisable decor of the Leaky Cauldron that she stepped out, pleased when she didn't fall or stumble. Flooing wasn't quite as disorientating as apparating, from what Saiph understood, but it still wasn't pleasant and took some getting used to. A couple of seconds after Saiph exited the Floo Andromeda came tumbling out after her, and it was all too apparent where Nymphadora got her clumsiness from.

"Right then." Andromeda said, straightening her robes with a hint of embarrassment, though none of the pub's patrons had even glanced up at their entrance. "Let's get on with it, shall we?"

Saiph drew her own jacket a bit tighter around her shoulders, and brushed some of her hair down to conceal her features a little. Then she trudged on after her aunt and cousin, who were already making their way out to the chilly courtyard area behind the pub. At the far end of the small courtyard, Andromeda drew her wand and tapped the the third brick from the left above the trash bin, the wall grinding open from her touch and creating the archway into Diagon Alley. The trio stepped through into the bustling crowds. It was always unremittingly busy right before a school year, but still, it wasn't long before they had fought their way through the knots of people and reached the towering marble-white building that was Gringotts Wizarding Bank. They climbed the steps up to the bronze doors and the finely dressed goblins by the entryway bowed them inside.

Saiph had only once or twice before had the chance to visit the legendary wizarding bank, and both times she had just been tagging along with her grandfather when he was there on business and neither of her aunts had been able to look after her, so she had never fully been able to take in the impressive structure. Saiph's eyes raked across the broad entrance hall, lined with highly polished counters only broken by the rows of massive pillars. She suddenly found herself lagging behind, and deftly moved to catch up with the two other women who where now approaching one of the counters.

"Good morning," Andromeda greeted the bent over figure sitting behind the desk, causing the goblin to glance up from his work with a forced smile which really looked more like a distasteful sneer. "We're here to access the...Lestrange vault."

Saiph did a double take. Of course though, she realised after a startled second, Andromeda wouldn't be paying for her seven years of school supplies out of her own pocket. Cygnus had not only been Saiph's guardian, but the guardian of the Lestrange fortune she had inherited. It only made sense that he would pass that duty along to Andromeda as well. The goblin's interest seemed to have been caught by this turn of events, and its beady black eyes flickered between Andromeda and Tonks, before coming to rest on Saiph. He apparently recognised her.

"Ahh, Miss Lestrange," the goblin grinned wickedly, showing its pointed teeth. "We've been waiting for you."

He rifled around within his desk for a minute, and then triumphantly produced a rather plain looking manila folder, which he tore open with a clawed finger, and pulled out an unmarked piece of parchment, laying it on the desk before them.

"Would you offer your palm, please?"

Saiph hesitated for a moment, and then reluctantly held her hand out. She let out a startled yelp when the goblin suddenly produced a short bladed knife and nicked her flesh, letting a few droplets of crimson drip from the small wound and land on the parchment. Surprisingly, the paper seemed to almost drink the blood in, soaking it up so that it and had completely vanished within a matter of seconds. The goblin stared intently at the parchment, fingers steepled beneath his chin, and then after a few moments he released a contented huff.

"Just had to verify," he explained. "This is your first time visiting us, and we needed to have your blood on record. A high-security measure. Everything seems in order though. You are indeed recognised as the sole heir to the Lestrange vault." The goblin seemed rather pleased by this, but Saiph just nodded somewhat dumbly, being preoccupied with nursing her palm, which was still smarting.

The goblin then turned to hail one of his comrades, waving him over with a knobby hand. The younger looking goblin that approached had a very resigned air about him. He was apparently completely bored by the entire situation.

"Sawclaw! Escort Miss Lestrange down to her vault."

"I shall need the Clankers," Sawclaw sighed, tiredly.

The first goblin nodded and reached down under his desk again, coming back up to produce a leather made satchel filled with what sounded like jangling metal.

"Right then," Sawclaw accepted the bag from the older goblin, "Follow me, please."

Saiph stuffed her injured hand inside the pocket of her jacket and followed after the trundling little creature, Tonks and Andromeda shared a quick glance and then trailed behind. Sawclaw lead them through a door and down a passageway lit with flaming torches, just off of the main entrance hall. The passage became increasingly narrow and had a rather steep downwards slope, but before long the goblin stopped them just in front of a set of smallish railway tracks. He whistled sharply, and a matching cart came hurtling down the tracks and stopped abruptly before them. Sawclaw gestured for Saiph and Andromeda to climb aboard, and when Tonks got in after them the goblin gave a disgruntled sort of noise but didn't protest. Once they were all onboard the cart, Sawclaw pulled a lever, the cart took off with a jolt and Saiph's stomach jumped up into her throat. It was by far faster than anything she had experienced before, except maybe Flooing, but that cramped, sooty style of travel was a world different from this. The cart was flying along through the underground passageways, weaving in and out between stalactites and stalagmites at what should have been impractical speeds, and she had no idea how Sawclaw was managing to direct the thing. She had never even approached this kind of speed when she and Draco had messed around on their brooms out the back of Malfoy Manor. That was probably the only fond memory she shared with Draco, and even then, _fond_ wasn't exactly the word she would use to describe it. They had spent the whole afternoon racing around trying to knock the other off their broom and into the pond. The outcome of the event wasn't something Saiph was ever going to share. Her cousin may have been an impossible little git, but he could definitely fly.

Every so often the cart would flip completely upside down, or go around in a loop-d-loop. The whole time Tonks was clutching onto Saiph's free hand with her nails digging painfully into her skin. Saiph thought she might actually lose the extremity when they saw a waterfall coming into view around the next bend, the torrent splashing down directly over the course of the track.

"What is that?!" Saiph shouted to Sawclaw over the racket of the cart.

"It's the Thief's Downfall. Removes all charms and enchantments. Shouldn't be a problem for us though." The goblin paused for a moment and seemed to consider. "Well, let's hope not anyway!"

_Fantastic._

Saiph watched as the waterfall loomed fast overhead, there was a girlish scream from beside her, and then they passed through it, the pounding water deafening them all for an instant and drenching them completely from head to toe. It was only for a split second, and then they were out the other side, seemingly unharmed and no worse for wear, if a little cold and wet. A few curves later and the cart came to a jarring halt beside a convenient platform, and Saiph barely braced herself in time to stop from smacking into the back of the seat in front of her. She quickly clambered out of the contraption, chuckling wryly as Tonks staggered out after her and gracelessly collapsed onto her hands and knees on the smooth stone floor, her azure hair plastered to her forehead.

"If-if you," she stuttered and let out ragged breath to calm herself before starting again. "If you ever tell anyone I screamed back there, I'll hex that smirk right off your face, Lestrange."

Saiph snickered again and helped her cousin to her feet. Andromeda had to let her own heart rate slow before she too exited the cart and joined the others, where the goblin, Sawclaw, was waiting rather impatiently. She took the time to cast a drying charm on each of their clothes and hair, and then, when they were ready, Sawclaw lead them onwards through a series of labyrinth-like pathways.

"How deep are we?" Saiph murmured the question to Sawclaw after a few minutes of silent travel.

"Very," the goblin replied, deadpan.

The passageway they were walking down suddenly opened up in to a much larger, cavernous space. The roof high above was covered with the sporadic spikes of stalactites, and directly across from them, the doors of several high security vaults could be made out. Saiph barely registered any of this though; her attention was instead directed at the gigantic dragon that was resting on the cool stony floor in the centre of the cavern. It's scales looked almost flakey, and were a mottled whitish sort of colour. As she watched, the lids of a single orb-like eye cracked open, to reveal a milky pink iris. It was obvious that the beast was at least partially blind, yet not for a second did Saiph imagine that this made the dragon any less dangerous. Heavy shackles were secured around its hind legs, and thick chains tethered the beast to massive pegs which had been driven down into the rock. It reared its head up when it spotted the intruders, and opened its jaws to release a powerful howling roar that reverberated back off of the smooth walls around them and caused Saiph to slap her hands over her ears, noting that Tonks and Andromeda had done the same.

Sawclaw appeared unfazed however. He simply reached into the jangly leather satchel he had brought and pulled out a strange looking pair of metallic objects. He proceeded to shake the device, and it emitted a sound akin to that of miniature hammers on anvils. The noise had a profound effect on the dragon, which immediately started to tremble and back away from the tiny goblin, pressing itself up against the rock wall on the far side of the cavern and cowering there, burying its head under its wing.

"It's been trained to expect pain at the noise," Sawclaw explained.

"That's horrible!" Tonks admonished.

The goblin merely shrugged, clearly unaffected by the whole affair, and started leading them across the room towards the vaults. As they got closer, Saiph could clearly make out numerous reddish scars all over the dragons hide which looked like they might have been left by a brand of some sort. On the one hand; it _was_ kind of barbaric what the goblins had done to the creature. Yet on the other; Saiph could definitely see the appeal of having a domesticated dragon watching over her Gringotts vault. Therefore it would be rather hypocritical of her to condemn the goblins for their use of the beast. Sawclaw stopped them at the sealed entrance to one of the vaults. Vault No.720.

"Your vault, Miss Lestrange," the goblin intoned, then placed its gnarled hand against the centre of the intricately crafted metal door.

The door simply melted away at the goblin's touch, and the other side opened up to reveal a vast cavelike room that was crammed from the back almost from floor to ceiling with golden coins. Jewels and goblets, shining pieces of armour and the skins and bones of outlandish and monstrous looking creatures, some with long spiked spines and others with enormous drooping wings were also piled among the gold. Closer to the door there were rows of tables and shelves all littered with copious amounts of treasure and other valuables. Glittering jewelry, ornamented flasks and chalices filled with bubbling potions, and even a few complete human skeletons, one still wearing a highly garlanded crown atop its skull.

Tonks was starring, slack jawed, and Saiph had to admit she probably wore a similar kind of expression on her own face. She'd known she had inherited quite a lot from her family, a fortune even, but this was something else entirely. Andromeda, on the other hand, merely grimaced and conjured a couple of cloth sacks, handing one of them wordlessly over to Saiph while she walked over to a pile of gold Galleons and started stuffing them unceremoniously into her own bag. Saiph was a little more unsure of what to do with the sack in her hands, but after several seconds deliberation she made her way over to one of the tabletops and started picking through the items before her. She grabbed several handfuls of Galleons, silver Sickles and bronze Knuts, tossing them into the sack, but also poked through a few interesting pieces of jewelry. Necklaces, earrings, bracelets, some hairpins, she passed over most of them, but pocketed a few in particular which had caught her eye.

After too short a time Andromeda called them back over to the entrance, where Sawclaw had been standing stoically the whole time. She placed a shrinking charm on both of the sacks, reducing them each to the size of a ring pouch, and then handed them back over to Saiph, who tucked them into her jacket pockets. Sawclaw lead them out of the vault, which sealed up again behind them, and then used the Clankers to get them past the dragon once more. Though the beast still hadn't left its corner of the cavern, it spat a few small jets of flame in their general direction. The return trip on the cart felt a little shorter for some reason, though they did have to re-shrink the sacks after going back through the Thief's Downfall, and before she knew it Saiph was once again standing in the marble foyer on the ground level of Gringotts.

"I trust your withdrawal went successfully?" The goblin they had talked to earlier behind the desk queried them.

Saiph nodded. "Er- yeah...the vault seems very...secure."

The goblin took that for approval, and gave Saiph another of its rather disturbing smiles. Sawclaw had vanished the second they reached the main hall, and so they were free to leave. Andromeda told the two girls that she had a few errands she needed to run herself and that they should get started on that shopping list. This prompted Saiph to pull out the Hogwarts letter again and flick down through the supplies she needed. Most of it was pretty basic stuff; a pewter cauldron, telescope, brass scales, quill, etc. And they were able to collect all of these quite quickly from the various stores in Diagon Alley, along with a trunk to carry the lot. However, the robe fittings Saiph would need to get done at Madame Malkin's were going to take some time, and Tonks opted to duck off with a few friends she'd run into. Chatting animatedly, she left Saiph outside the store and headed off with her group in the direction of the Leaky Cauldron. Saiph grumbled a little and pushed open the shop door, her presence announced by the small bell that chimed above her head, and a kindly looking woman dressed in all mauve, whom Saiph assumed was Madame Malkin, appeared from the back room.

"Ahh, another one for Hogwarts is it, dear? Come stand over here and I'll have you fitted in a jiffy."

For the next twenty minutes or so, Saiph stood as still as she could manage in front of a wall sized mirror while the woman slipped a long robe over her head and flittered around her, along with several floating measuring tapes, pinning the robe in the correct places. Saiph collected up her new school robes and winter cloak, folding them up in her trunk. She pulled out one of the sacks full of money she'd collected from the Lestrange vault, and had Madam Malkin resize it so she could pull out several Sickles and few Galleons to pay her with. Once the sack was shrunk back down, Saiph pocketed it and left the shop. Checking her list again, and spotting the store a little ways down the street, she decided to head over to Flourish and Blotts to pick up the collection of books she would need for her classes.

The wall-to-wall shelves of the bookstore were ceiling high and stacked full of countless books and tomes, luckily though, they seemed to be selling the Hogwarts year books in assortment, and that made purchasing them all too simple. Saiph saw that the only thing left on her list was a wand. It was about the only thing she had actually been looking forward to today, and though she was itching to get over to Ollivander's to acquire one, she knew that Andromeda would undoubtedly have finished up her errands by now, and would probably be looking for her niece. Sighing a little, Saiph decided to spend the time browsing through what the store had to offer, and frankly there was little that it didn't.

She found herself skimming through the pages of a book titled _Curses and Counter-Curses _by Professor Vindictus Viridian. She hadn't gotten very far, however, when a sharp rap on the window behind her caused her to jump. She spun around to see her Aunt Andromeda standing on the other side of the glass, tapping her foot impatiently. Hurriedly, Saiph walked up to the counter and repeated the frustrating process she'd gone through at Madame Malkin's in order to drop a single Galleon into the owner's hand to pay for _Curses and Counter-Curses_. From her skimming it looked like an interesting read, and maybe she could even learn a few hexes to toss Malfoy's way next time she saw him. The thought made her want to get her hands on a wand more than ever. Nodding thanks to the clerk, Saiph turned to leave and collided with someone who had been standing close behind her, causing the young witch to drop her new, and rather heavy, book on her toe. Cursing quietly, she snatched the hardcover back up, the instant numbness that had spread through her foot was already starting to fade, being replaced by a throbbing pain.

"Watch it!" Saiph snapped, glancing angrily up at a pair of wide, startled brown eyes.

The girl looked like she was probably around the same age as her, if maybe a year older, and had prominent front teeth and incredibly bushy hair that would have been near impossible to get a brush through. Two people whom Saiph correctly assumed were the girl's parents were standing nearby with worried expressions. Surprisingly, Saiph noted, they were dressed in very normal looking Muggle clothes. Not an unusual sight on modern wizarding children- but adults? She was clearly a Muggle-born. Figured.

"I'm sorry!" The girl gushed, but Saiph was already brushing past her and limping out of the store, the door jingling behind her.

"Been looking for you," Andromeda addressed Saiph when she came to a stop in front of her aunt. "Where's Nymphadora?"

"Ditched me." Saiph shrugged. Hopefully she could get her back by testing out a few of those curses on her as well before the school year started.

Andromeda sighed despairingly. Tonks was dead set on joining the Aurors, had even handed her application in, and was just waiting to hear back. She certainly had managed to make the required grades, though how was beyond the woman given the amount of mischief the girl had caused at school. But even despite that, honestly Andromeda thought she might be too irresponsible and reckless to ever pass the rigorous training regime Auror applicants were put through. Saiph just thought her older cousin was too left-footed. She made her way with her aunt down through the lively crowds and towards Ollivander's Wand Shop. Saiph paused to stare up at the peeling lettering above the doorway, _'Makers of Fine Wands since 382 B.C.'_, and then stepped inside after her aunt.

"Um, hello?" Andromeda called out into the darkened store. They were surrounded on all sides by stacks of wand cases, and towards the back of the shop there were countless more shelves almost overflowing with the simple shoebox like containers.

Saiph startled a little when an old man seemingly materialized out of thin air right beside her. He had huge pale eyes with an almost reflective quality, and Saiph had the chilling impression that the man was actually looking right through her.

"Good morning," he intoned softly, and then his moonlike eyes flicked over to Andromeda. "Beech, ten and a half inches, unicorn tail hair..."

"Right you are, Mr. Ollivander." Andromeda beamed.

He smiled back rather knowingly. "It is good to see you again my dear. But I do think my customer for today will be young Miss Lestrange."

Saiph resisted the urge to squirm beneath the man's penetrating gaze, and instead stuck her hand out for him to shake. He didn't take it however, instead he produced a small tape measure and began measuring the distance between her fingertips, muttering to himself the whole time.

"Hmm...ah yes...twelve inches should do...left-handed, that's good, very good..." he left the enchanted tape to work by itself, and disappeared briefly into the back of the shop. When he returned he was hefting a large number of wand cases, and abruptly dropped them down atop the counter in a rough stack. He picked one off the top and pulled a lightly coloured and highly polished wand from the box, holding it out eagerly to Saiph. Saiph's fingers had barely brushed the grip of the wand however, when Ollivander pulled it back away from her sharply and tossed it onto another bare section of the counter.

"No, no, no. Definitely _not_ cherry."

He proffered another wand, but once again snatched it away before Saiph had barely even touched it. Again and again they repeated this process, and the pile of discarded wands was growing steadily by the minute. Saiph was getting annoyed, though Ollivander himself didn't seem to be bothered in the slightest, in fact he seemed to be enjoying himself immensely. Every time he added another wand to the rejected pile his eyes seemed to grow a little brighter, and even more disconcerting. But then, jarringly abruptly- he stopped.

"Interesting..._very_ interesting. Almost as if..." His glanced up at Andromeda and his expression morphed into disapproval. "...You've been holding out on me, my dear."

Saiph was stumped. She looked back and forth between the two adults, trying to discern what she'd missed. Andromeda, however, obviously knew exactly what the old man was talking about, because she fidgeted nervously for a few moments before cracking under his stare. She sighed resignedly and reached down into her handbag, fumbling around for a few moments before pulling out a long, thin package wrapped in a silk piece of cloth. Garrick Ollivander eagerly reached out for the package, and Andromeda seemed all too willing to be rid of it, practically thrusting it into the man's spindly hands. Ollivander delicately unwrapped the silk cloth, and let it drift down to the floor between Saiph's feet. Looking back up, Saiph saw that resting lightly in his hands was a wand.

"Walnut," the old man murmured reverently, as though speaking to himself, and turned the wand over a few times between his long fingers, "twelve and three quarter inches, dragon heartstring core...unyielding."

Saiph drank in the wand. The wood was dark, nearly black, refined, and there was a very distinguishable bend to it, which gave the wand an almost talon-like appearance. It had a dark sort of beauty, and Saiph could feel it almost calling to her.

"This was the wand of Bellatrix Lestrange."

"Th-this was...my mother's wand?" Saiph stuttered, not sure if she'd heard him correctly.

"Yes. It _was_," Ollivander said. "Though for a long time now, I suspect, it has answered to a new master."

"Bellatrix left it to you..." Andromeda murmured quietly from where she now stood behind her niece. "I hadn't wanted to...well I'd hoped that..."

Ollivander sighed, seeming somewhat disappointed. "Inherited wands are never quite as fun, at least not for me, but they are reliable. Especially if they accept the witch or wizard who they are passed down to. And I have the distinct impression that the reason we couldn't find you a wand, Miss Lestrange, is because you've already been chosen by one."

Saiph looked back down at the wand in his hands. He might have been right.

"Use this wand _carefully_," Ollivander told her, his silver eyes turning hard and serious. "It has performed powerful magic. Dark magic. And it _remembers_ those spells."

The old man slowly offered the wand out to her, and Saiph surprised herself when she took it almost without hesitation. The wand seemed to tremble to her touch, and a smoky green light emanated from the tip and drifted up towards the ceiling.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: **So, genius that I am, I completely forgot to add one of these for the 1st chapter. Basically, if you haven't already figured it out, this story is going to be an AU based around an OC daughter of Bellatrix, and will continue throughout her years at Hogwarts. Harry Potter is still the chosen one, but this isn't his story. I have a couple of other OC's in play, and even some slight crossovers. No horcruxes. Eventual Saiph/Neville. Massive thanks to my Beta/sister **thelittlestteacup,** without her this couldn't have come to light.

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing except my OC's

**Chapter 2-**

The month leading up to September first, and the day Saiph would have to catch the Hogwarts Express from platform and nine and three quarters, went by surprisingly quick. Just about first thing Saiph had done when they'd Floo'd back from Diagon Alley, was store her trunk full of brand new school supplies in the back of her closet, but not before pulling out the hardcover _Curses and Counter-Curses _that she had purchased in Flourish and Blotts. She then sprawled out atop her still unmade bed and set about studying the thick crimson book with gold etching. She had little else to do, save for the few chores she had been assigned by her aunt, domestic labor was still a foreign concept to her, and so reading through the tome took up the majority of her time. She was pleased when she found herself quickly picking up on a few of the simpler spells detailed in the pages, apparently having quite an affinity for them. She knew that the scrupulous Mr. Ollivander had warned her to be cautious with any use of her inherited wand, and while at first she had to admit that she was almost afraid to touch it, she had quickly broken through the trepidation. The wand may have once belonged to her mother, but it was hers now, and she couldn't deny that it just felt _right_.

After the first week Nymphadora had received a letter back from the Department of Magical Law Enforcement and was ecstatic to discover that her application to the Auror training had in fact been approved. She had started almost right away, and so she was rarely around the house anymore. However, on the weekends that she did happen to be at home, Saiph relished in making use of the opportunity to try out a few of the different jinxes, hexes and curses which she was learning. Technically, she wasn't a student at Hogwarts until she had been officially enrolled and sorted into a school house -although there wasn't exactly a lot of doubt in which one she would end up- and so she wasn't yet subject to the underage magic trace the Ministry had in place. A small loophole that they could really do nothing about, seeing as all wizarding children showed different uses of magic during their pre-school years. After a few initial failures, Saiph practiced and made liberal use of the hair-loss curse upon Tonks, knowing that it wouldn't actually have any real effect on the Metamorphmagus, who could simply grow her hair back into whatever length and colour she desired. Of course, Tonks still found her cousin's little ambushes extremely annoying, and Saiph had to be wary of the reciprocating stinging jinxes that were often sent her way.

Andromeda was in Hell. Her home was actively being turned into a miniature warzone. And the degree of the spellfire being flung about was only growing with each passing day as her niece was rapidly discovering more and more curses to send at her cousin. Saiph may have had some innate talent, but she was still a complete amateur, and so rarely, if ever, came out of the encounters the victor. The spells she cast were fairly basic, and she was nowhere near able to cast any form of shielding charm. Still, Tonks had to admit she was impressed with the rate at which the younger girl was picking up the curses. She had even caught Saiph burning the midnight oil into the late hours some nights, practicing the incantations and wand movements in her bedroom when she thought everyone else was asleep.

The biggest of the impromptu duels, the one that carried the heaviest repercussions, had happened one morning when Tonks was lounging on the living room couch, still aching from the previous days Auror training. Saiph had snuck deftly into the room, planning on using Tonks' weakened state to her own advantage, and approached the couch from behind. She trained her curved wand on where she could see the top of her cousin's spiky pink hair poking up. Just in the nick of time Tonks had spotted Saiph's reflection in the glass of the windowpane, and at the exact same moment both girls sprang into action, Saiph lunging forward to get a clearer shot and Tonks flipping over and drawing her wand.

_"Petrificus Totalus!"_ The curse was shouted from each pair of lips and burst from the tips of both wands. The spells collided with a crackle of energy in midair between the two witches, deflected off of one another and simultaneously struck Andromeda, who had just stepped out from the kitchen to ask if anyone wanted crumpets. The woman's legs snapped together and her back went rigid as a board, the plate of crumpets clattered to the floor and Andromeda fell backwards, hitting the ground with a rather loud crack.

It took Tonks a while longer and more energy than it should have to perform the counter-curse required to unfreeze her mother, seeing as the woman had been struck by two full body-bind curses at once, and Andromeda was fuming by the time she could move again.

"I swear, you're always doing this, if you don't cut it out Bellatrix I'll-" She cut herself off abruptly, aware of the stunned expressions on both girls faces, and quickly realized her reflexive mistake when she played the words over again in her head. "Saiph...I..."

"It's okay, Auntie," Saiph collected herself quickly, "I'll try and keep the spellfire to a minimum."

The event hadn't been brought up or mentioned again, and all parties seemed content enough to just ignore it. Another week rolled by and it was the first of September. Saiph was woken up extra early by her cousin in a very similar fashion to how she had been roused the morning she received her Hogwarts letter, except that this time Tonks had insisted on dragging her downstairs to where Andromeda was waiting somewhat more passively. It just so happened that the first day of the Hogwarts school year coincided with Saiph's birthday. She hadn't even realized that Andromeda or Tonks knew that, though she probably should have, it wasn't the first birthday she'd spent with them. Cygnus was a fairly kind man, kind enough and not so obsessed with blood-purity that he had forgiven his daughter after she had run off to marry a Muggle-born man. Though it wasn't until his late wife had passed that he had been able to approach Andromeda again. Druella had been a vile woman, and the one who had disowned their daughter in the first place. But despite his softness, Cygnus hadn't exactly ever been a man to celebrate things as trivial as birthdays, not that Saiph cared all that much. So in the past she had often spent her birthdays with one of her aunts. The timing of her birthday was quite fortunate, technically if she'd been born a day later she would have been forced to wait another year before attending Hogwarts.

"Happy birthday, cous'." Saiph was only half awake when Tonks thrust a slice of chocolate cake into her hands.

"Um, thanks," Saiph mumbled, trying to cut off a piece of the cake with the side of her fork, but it was difficult when she was being pulled into the living room and forced down onto the middle cushion of the couch. "You guys know you didn't have to."

"Didn't really even want to," Tonks smirked playfully, and dropped a small present onto her lap that looked like it had been wrapped by a five year old. "But, ya know, kinda obligated."

"Wow, you really went all out," Saiph dripped sarcasm as she tore the disgraceful wrapping paper off and found herself holding a small cardboard box.

Opening it, she took a second to figure out what she was actually looking at. Tonks had apparently nicked an additional Auror wand holster from the Department of Magical Law Enforcement when she had attained her own, and the small black leather belt could be easily altered and worn in whatever style a witch or wizard desired. Saiph was surprised by how much she actually appreciated the gift, and found herself beaming up at her older cousin.

"Hey, maybe we'll be working together someday, right?"

Saiph had taken the time to consider what she might want to do with her life a few times before, and though the idea of becoming an Auror was certainly appealing, if ironic, she might have aimed a little higher. Andromeda had followed them in, and decided to reveal her own present. She had settled on getting Saiph a familiar, having found that owning one came in particularly handy during her own school years. The sleek but rather thin black cat with gangly oversized paws padded out from between Andromeda's legs and climbed up onto the couch beside Saiph, who reached out and scratched her behind the ears, causing the creature to purr startlingly loudly.

"Thank you," Saiph told her aunt sincerely.

"You're very welcome. You have to name her though."

Eventually, and with much unwanted input from Tonks, she dryly settled on naming the the black cat Coven. In all, her birthday was a pleasant yet fairly short affair, seeing as they needed to get to King's Cross before eleven o'clock, at which time the Hogwarts Express, without fail, departed directly on the dot. Saiph retrieved her trunk from her closet, double checking to make sure she had everything, and then they gathered again in the living room. She clutched Coven in one arm, and took Andromeda's hand with her other, and they apparated into an empty locker room inside King's Cross station with a loud pop that hurt her ears. It had to have been about ten times worse than Flooing. More nauseating as well as being coupled with the sensation that you were getting pressed down upon from all sides, and Saiph found herself on her arse when they reappeared in the locker room. Tonks apparated in a half second later with Saiph's luggage, and grinned broadly when she saw Saiph on the floor wearing an indignant look on her face. Saiph tried to ignore her Cheshire cat cousin (she would never admit to anyone that she had owned Muggle television at Grimmauld Place) as she pulled herself to her feet and straightened her clothes as best she could. She had worn Muggle clothing again, seeing as they'd be passing through the station. Plus robes were just unflattering. In the end she was glad she had, because the station was absolutely swarming with Muggles and Andromeda's flowing robes were drawing a fair bit of unwanted attention as they struggled to push their way through the throngs of people, Tonks carting Saiph's luggage behind her and with Coven squirming in Saiph's arms. Finally they managed to make their way through, and Saiph found herself staring at the barrier right between platforms nine and ten, a nervous pang in her gut that was getting all too familiar. She bit down on it quickly, and the twinge receded.

"Why's it called platform nine and _three quarters_, if it's right in the middle of nine and ten, huh? You'd think it'd be platform nine and a _half_..." Tonks mused.

"You guys can leave, it's okay, I can go through by myself," Saiph told them, switching Coven into her other arm and taking her trunk off Tonks.

"Are you sure?" Andromeda asked.

Saiph snorted. "Yeah. I'm sure."

She honestly didn't see what was supposed to be so terrifying about it, passing through the magical barrier that is, and snickered as she watched a group of other first years hesitating in front of the metal divider between the two platforms, some of them already dressed in their school robes.

"Okay then...have a good year," Andromeda surprised Saiph by hugging her awkwardly with one arm, but after a few bewildered moments Saiph returned the hug, as best she could with her own arms full.

"Yeah, stay _safe_, Saiph!"

"Oh, shut up, _Nymphadora_!"

Tonks childishly poked her tongue out, but gave her cousin a wave goodbye. And then Saiph brushed past the hesitating group of first years and was swiftly through the barrier. She paused at the sight that greeted her. Witches and wizards in robes of every colour were bustling about in all directions, hundreds of owls were swooping overhead and there were cats everywhere underfoot. Coven mewled a little, but seemed content to stay in Saiph's arms. And right in the middle of everything was the massive form of the Hogwarts Express, steam already billowing from its top. Saiph trudged over to it, her progress hindered by her heavy trunk. She cursed under her breath and silently wished she had taken the time to have Andromeda teach her that shrinking charm, it would have been so much easier to just carry her luggage around in her pocket, given that with practice you could alter not only alter the size of an object but the weight as well. Walking down the platform along the side of the train, Saiph could see it was already filled with students, all fighting for seats and some of them leaning out of the open windows to talk with friends and family members wishing their children a good year. Saiph had almost given up hope of finding an empty compartment when she spotted one near the end. Sighing in relief she hefted her trunk up into the carriage, struggling under the weight a little but managing it, before she packed her luggage into the corner and dropped Coven onto one of the seats. She closed the compartment door behind her and sat herself down opposite the cat, making use of the ample leg room.

Just outside her window a boy with dreadlocks was showing off a box that apparently contained a giant tarantula, and he had gathered quite the crowd. Saiph curiously leaned over to get a better look, but was disappointed when she saw the boy had just slid the lid closed again and was now boarding the train. Shame. A lot of people were terrified of spiders, but it wasn't a fear which Saiph shared, she actually found them kind of fascinating. A couple of compartments down from her a large family were bantering loudly. It was fairly safe to assume that they were Weasleys, given every members flaming red hair and hand-me-down garments. The Weasleys were probably one of the poorest pure-blood families, and while the fortunes of each of the Sacred Twenty-Eight had been substantially lessened in recent times, especially given the after effects of the Second World War, the Weasleys had never had much of a fortune to begin with. Of course, at least they were still a comparatively large family; it seemed to be a trait of theirs to have a lot of kids. Saiph was the only member of the Lestrange family left that wasn't dead or in Azkaban.

Leaning back in her seat, Saiph closed her eyes, trying to drown out all the noise that was pouring in, though not having much success. It was a small mercy that no one else had tried to find a seat in her compartment, and after a few more minutes a sharp whistle sounded, causing Saiph to blink her eyes open and lift her arm to check her watch, seeing that it was eleven o'clock exactly. The last students boarded the carriages and took their seats, and then the train rumbled and slowly started moving down the tracks, gradually picking up speed. People on the platform were cheering and waving, some calling out last minute goodbyes. And then platform nine and three quarters was gone and the train had rounded a corner and was now clattering past houses and the brick backs of other buildings and factories. Saiph stretched out one of her legs to the other seat and rubbed Coven's back with her foot. The cat started purring that obnoxious purr again, and it was almost loud enough to drown out the rattling of the train beneath them.

It was a few minutes later that the compartment door unexpectedly slid open, and a strangely familiar bushy head of hair poked inside.

"Er- hi. I was wondering if you've seen a toad?" Asked the girl.

Saiph raised one of her eyebrows incredulously and shook her head. Who would honestly choose to bring a toad as a familiar? The girl let out a frustrated breath and pushed the door the rest of the way open, stepping inside. Saiph could have sworn she recognized her from somewhere.

"A boy's lost one," she explained, then rapid-fired on, "I've been up and down the train nearly twice now looking for it, and haven't had a chance to find a seat. Do you mind if I sit here? I don't want to be an inconvenience, but everywhere else is probably full."

"Whatever." Saiph guessed a compartment all to herself was just too good to be true, and sat forward to grab Coven from the other seat, freeing it up for the girl. The cat protested for a moment, but soon made herself comfortable again on Saiph's lap, pawing her claws annoyingly through the denim of her jeans.

"Thank you so much," the girl gratefully pushed her trunk in and sat down, "I'm Hermione Granger by the way."

"Saiph...Lestrange." Saiph shook the girl's offered hand and then fell back into her seat again. She hated the fact she wasn't even comfortable using her full name, internally calling herself a coward for her hesitation. It wasn't that she was ashamed of her family; the Lestranges were commonly recognized as one of the most powerful pure-blood wizarding families in the world...well maybe not so much so of late, she corrected herself.

"Safe?" The girl, Hermione, asked curiously.

Saiph sighed, jadedly; "S-A-I-P-H."

"Oh, sorry. Unusual name," Hermione observed, then after a brief pause; "It's a star, isn't it?"

"Family tradition." She was surprised the girl even knew that star; it wasn't exactly one of the better known ones.

"It's very pretty." Hermione smiled, obviously trying to be extra friendly in recompense for her inconveniencing.

"Thanks," Saiph frowned. "Hermione is...nice."

Just then the compartment door burst open again and a round faced boy with bleary eyes pushed his head in. He had obviously been crying.

"Hi Neville. Sorry, I still haven't been able to find your toad," Hermione apologized, squirming in her seat and looking a little guilty.

"That's okay, I-" The boy choked up abruptly. He had spotted Saiph stretched out on the other seat and was staring at her with wide eyes. He visibly paled, and before anything else could be said the boy ducked back out of the compartment and disappeared. Saiph had a growing feeling of unrest as she turned back to Hermione.

"What did you say that boy's name was?"

"Neville," Hermione told her, clearly confused. "Neville Longbottom."

Saiph's heart lurched up into her throat. _Longbottom_. Her grandfather had once sat her down and explained everything to her. How her parents had been Death Eaters, and two of the most fanatical followers of You-Know-Who. How her father, Rodolphus, had been killed in a firefight with Aurors before Saiph had even been born. It had been one of the first battles where the Aurors were sanctioned to use unforgivable curses, at the very height of the war, and he had been struck down by a killing curse. Finally, Cygnus had told her how, after the Dark Lord had mysteriously vanished, her mother had tortured two Aurors for information by the use of the cruciatus curse. How, at her hand, Frank and Alice _Longbottom_ had suffered a fate that in Cygnus's opinion was worse than death. Neville had obviously recognized her- she knew there was an uncanny resemblance between herself and her mother. His family may have even warned him to stay away from her. Saiph couldn't imagine what he thought of her. _Hi, I'm the girl whose mother tortured your parents into insanity_. Quite an icebreaker. Cygnus had loved his daughters completely, and when Bellatrix had fallen pregnant he had hoped it would make her reconsider her choices, maybe even abandon the Dark Lord's cause. But then only a mere year after her daughter was born, Bellatrix was captured and sent to Azkaban, along with her brother-in-law, Saiph's uncle, Rabastan. It had almost destroyed Cygnus, and was part of the reason he had reached out to Andromeda again.

An uncomfortable silence had descended over the two girls in the compartment. For the life of her Hermione couldn't figure out what had just happened, and Saiph was simply staring with unfocused eyes on the doorway where Neville had disappeared. Coven grew restless in Saiph's lap, and searching for attention, leaped agilely over onto Hermione's seat, startling the girl. When the cat began brushing up against Hermione's side, the witch relaxed and ran her fingers through her silky black fur.

"She is a very nice cat. What's her name?"

"Coven." Saiph snapped her gaze back to look at Hermione, almost having forgotten she was there, "She was a birthday present from my aunt."

"You're lucky," Hermione said dejectedly, "I wanted to get a familiar, but my mum's not a big fan of pets."

"A familiar isn't exactly your typical Muggle pet," Saiph muttered softly.

"Yeah, I tried to explain that, how it would be smarter than just any old cat, but mum didn't really get it..."

"You're a Muggle-born, aren't you?" Saiph asked, though she was confident of the answer.

"...Yes." There was only the briefest of hesitations. "My parents are dentists. What about you?"

Saiph flushed slightly and averted her eyes, she was abruptly saved from having to respond when the Honeydukes Express trolley stopped outside the compartment, and a plump old witch peered inside with a kindly smile.

"Anything off the trolley, dears?" She asked.

Saiph flicked her gaze back over to Hermione. "You want anything?"

"Umm...Liquorice Wand?" She sounded unsure, obviously unfamiliar with the various confectioneries on display.

Saiph nodded and stood, pulling a small leather coin purse out of her coat pocket and, tipping a few Sickles out onto her palm, she handed them to the trolley lady. She then took a handful of Liquorice Wands -Granger had good taste, they had always been her own favourite- and selected a couple of Cauldron Cakes as well. Murmuring her thanks to the grandmotherly old witch, Saiph sat back down, tossing several of the sweets over to Hermione, who thanked her in turn.

They ate in silence for a while, finishing the majority of the sweets, and Granger retrieved a heavy looking book from her trunk, opening it to a thick bookmark. As if remembering something, she blushed visibly, and peered up at Saiph over the top of the tome.

"Um...I don't know if you actually remember me-" She began, twisting a Liquorice Wand around her finger, but realization had struck Saiph while the other girl was talking, and she jumped in suddenly.

"Flourish and Blotts! Of course, you were that girl who bumped into me." Her tone turned a bit accusatory at the end.

"Hey, if I recall correctly, you bumped into me!" Said Hermione, quickly becoming defensive, "You were quite rude about it too."

Saiph bit back the automatic rebuttal that had formed on her lips and tried to replay the events at the bookstore over again in her head. She _may _actually have been in the wrong on that one. It wasn't like she was going to admit that though.

"Whatever. You made me drop a book on my foot and it bloody hurt. I had the right to be a little snappy."

Hermione huffed, but didn't get a chance to respond because the compartment door burst open once again, and a rather plain looking girl leaned in.

"Hey, have you two heard that Harry Potter is on the train?" She chatted excitedly. "Yeah, he's just down a few compartments. Can you believe it?" She hurried off almost as quickly as she'd appeared, and in her wake Saiph caught a glimpse of an all too familiar white-blonde haired boy strolling by, the hulking forms of two much larger boys shoving people out of the way to clear a path for him.

"_Malfoy_," she almost growled, though softly enough that Hermione didn't pick it up. He had undoubtedly already heard the rumour they had just become privy too, and was probably making his way over to find out if it was true, surely planning on offering The-Boy-Who-Lived a place in his own little gang.

"Did you want to go take a look?" Hermione asked, pausing to swallow a mouthful of liquorice. "I've read all about Harry Potter of course- I got a few extra books for some light reading before term, and he's in _Modern Magical History_ and _The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts_ and _Great Wizarding Events of the Twentieth Century_...Actually, now that I think about it, I believe I may have read something about a Lestrange family in one of those as well. You wouldn't happen to be related? Of course there are lots of old wizarding families, so I wouldn't be surprised if you were..."

Saiph had already tuned out the girl's droning voice, and didn't respond, she just slid out of her seat, fingering her wand which was hidden up the sleeve of her long coat, and exited the compartment. She walked briskly up the aisle, and ahead of her caught sight of Draco Malfoy and his lackeys stepping into what she guessed was the supposed compartment of Harry Potter. Of course, Hermione's description had been completely unnecessary; there wasn't a witch or wizard alive who hadn't heard of The-Boy-Who-Lived. He was about as famous as they came, and all for something he did when he was barely even old enough to crawl. Saiph arrived at the doorway just in time to hear her cousin sneering something at the occupants.

"...Oh, so you're going to fight us, are you?" Draco worked fast, the school year hadn't even started yet and he was already picking fights. It was obvious that Potter had declined his offer, and it sounded like her cousin wasn't taking it well.

"Unless you get out now," a surprisingly defiant voice responded evenly from inside, and given the circumstances, Saiph was impressed. She had recognized the boys Draco had with him; Crabbe and Goyle weren't the brightest pair by a long shot, but their size and brutish appearance made them intimidating enough at the best of times.

"But we don't feel like leaving, do we, boys?"

"Oh, Cousin Dearest, but I _really_ think you do." Saiph had decided it was time to intervene, and stepped in behind Draco, trying to keep the grin from her face as he froze up.

The two Trolls stood there dumbly, taking a few moments before they figured out what was going on and made to move at Saiph. She slipped her wand from her sleeve and trained it on them before they could take another step, their faces went slack in surprise and they faltered in their tracks. Draco risked a quick glance back over his shoulder and his pale grey eyes met with Saiph's heavily lidded coal ones. He gulped audibly, and Saiph had to stifle a snicker.

"L-Lestrange," he stammered, his nervousness clearly showing with the crack in his voice. Saiph was a little disappointed when he turned back to look his henchmen; "Come on, Crabbe, Goyle, let's go."

Withdrawing her wand again, Saiph moved back and pressed herself against the doorframe to let Draco and the larger boys by, Goyle grunting menacingly at her as he passed. He was still holding a grudge against her from the last time she had seen the three of them. It had been at the previous year's Christmas dinner party at the Malfoy Manor, and Draco, Crabbe and Goyle had spent the night making snide remarks, intentionally within Saiph's earshot, about her parentage, and going into nasty detail about just how exactly Azkaban guards treated their prisoners. In the end Saiph had been forced to leave early with a split and bloody lip, her aunt Narcissa tut-tutting at her. It may not have been one of her most tactful moments, but it had been worth it to see Gregory Goyle upchuck his entire Christmas dinner after she'd delivered him a rather below-the-belt knee.

"I'll see you later, Lestrange," the present Draco muttered with a scowl, trying to regain some of his confidence as he brushed by.

Saiph just tilted her head to the side with a mocking smirk and watched his retreating back as he disappeared down the carriage and exited into a different section of the train. Hermione had apparently followed after her, and the girl gave Crabbe and Goyle a wide berth as she passed them and came to stand beside Saiph.

"What _has_ been going on?" She asked; disapproval clear in her tone as she took in the compartment before them. It looked like half the sweets from the trolley had been scattered over the floor, and more wrappers covered the seats.

The three boys, the occupants, who stood before them where looking a little bedraggled as well. One of them was rather tall, but gangly, with a long nose, a generous sprinkling of freckles and red hair- Saiph recognized him as one of the Weasleys from the station. The second was tall as well, but he fitted his height better, already having the definitions of broad shoulders. He had sharper features and darker hair that fell straight as a razor down to his chin. The last one was smaller, almost too skinny, and dressed even shoddier than the Weasley, with bright green eyes and an extremely messy mop of black hair. Through these bangs, a scar was visible on his forehead.

"So...you're Harry Potter," Saiph leaned in, her own thick hair tumbling forward and her dark eyes shining as they inspected the legendary lightning bolt shaped scar. He wasn't quite how she'd pictured him. The second boy was more the Harry Potter type, this boy was just a runt.

"Er- yeah, I am. Who are you?" Harry queried, flinching back from the girl a little, obviously uncomfortable.

"Saiph Lestrange," she told him.

In her peripheral vision she caught sight of the Weasley boy's eyes narrowing into slits, and he took noticeable step away from her. Of course the Weasley would know her name. Saiph's brows furrowed and her jaw set as she threw the redhead a challenging glare. His nerves held, albeit barely, and he didn't back down.

"Christian," the other boy chimed in, oblivious to the sudden tension, giving Saiph a friendly grin, "Hey, thanks for getting that guy to sod off."

Saiph appraised him again, and his gratitude seemed genuine. Potter gave her a small nod as well.

"My pleasure."

Hermione's eyes flickered to the window, the sun was getting discernibly lower in the sky, and the open pastures and flat marshland they had been flashing past had slowly progressed into darkened forests, covering high mountains.

"We must be getting close by now; we should probably go and change into our robes." She glanced at the boys then; "You'd better hurry up too. Honestly, fighting already. You'll be in trouble before we even get there!"

"Hey, _she_ was the one fighting!" Weasley protested, pointing a finger in Saiph's direction.

_More like saving your impoverished arse,_ she thought bitingly.

Hermione was taking no notice though; she was already heading back out the door. She paused, however, and clutching the doorway she leaned back in.

"You've got some dirt, by the way," she indicated to a spot on Weasley's nose. "Right there, did you know?"

Saiph smirked again at the dumbfounded look on the boy's face, and then followed after Hermione's bobbing hair back down the aisle. In their own compartment they drew the purple curtains of the door shut to give themselves some privacy and then, while Hermione did the same, Saiph pulled her trunk out from beneath the seat and quickly took her coat off, tugging the trailing, black school robes over her head. Freeing her long hair from where it had got caught it the hood of her robe, Saiph retrieved her wand holster and buckled the leather belt around her waist, slipping her wand into the sheath that now rested in the small of her back.

"Do you know what house you want to be sorted into?" Hermione asked as she stored her own trunk again. "I've been asking around, and I hope I'm in Gryffindor, it sounds by far the best; I hear Dumbledore himself was in it, but I suppose Ravenclaw wouldn't be too bad-"

"Slytherin," Saiph interrupted, mostly just wanting to put a stop to her incessant chattering before it really got out of hand, the girl had a mouth. "I'm going to be in Slytherin."

"Oh...really?" Hermione's eyebrows shot up beneath her fringe. "I was under the impression that you couldn't really know until you get there..."

She sounded quite put off by the idea of being mistaken.

"My entire family -on both sides- have been sorted into Slytherin for generations..."

"I suppose the Lestrange family is a very old wizarding family, then?"

"Yes," Saiph replied curtly.

"Do you have any brothers or sisters?"

"No."

"I'm an only child too-"

"I'm gonna get some air, okay?"

"Oh- sure." Hermione frowned, and her eyes followed the peculiar girl's exit.

Saiph stuffed her hands in the large pockets of her robes, and wandered up the carriage. Granger was friendly enough, though she was a little tactless and rather bossy, and she could quickly get on one's nerves. A voice echoed through the train saying that they would be arriving at Hogsmeade station in just five minutes time, and then adding that students were to leave their luggage on the train, as it would be taken to the school separately. Something brushed past Saiph's ankles, a glint of black fur, and she leant down to scratch Coven behind the ears. The cat mewled and then broke away, padding up the aisle a little further on her ungainly paws before stopping abruptly, her tail twitching as she swiveled her head back to Saiph and mewled again.

The girl made her way over to her familiar, halting beside the cat and looking around curiously for what might have caught her interest. Seeing nothing, she bent to scoop the cat up around the middle.

"...I've heard of the Malfoys." Saiph's ears pricked, realizing that in following the cat she had ended up standing back outside Potter's compartment, and voices were drifting out to her from inside. She leaned back against the wall just outside the door, clutching Coven to her chest. A little eavesdropping never hurt anyone.

The voice continued, and Saiph recognized it as belonging to the Weasley boy. "They were one of the first families to come back to our side after You-Know-Who disappeared. Said they'd been bewitched," He snorted. "My dad doesn't believe it."

His tone suddenly became more hushed and conspiratorial.

"The Lestranges though...they never even denied it. I hear they were sent to Azkaban for what they did...Trust me Harry; you should stay away from that girl. I reckon she's got to be barking."

Weasley was still looking back at his friends as he stepped out of the compartment, but when he saw the two other boy's eyes widen, he turned around and found Saiph standing there, her expression blank except for the slight set to her jaw. The train then shuddered to a stop, and kids were suddenly piling out of the compartments around them. Saiph pushed herself off the wall and joined the throngs of students shoving and stumbling their way off the train.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: **Not my strongest chapter so far, but I hope you all enjoy it anyway. I know the arrival at Hogwarts and Sorting Ceremony is something we're all too familiar with, but I couldn't really exclude it, so I tried to give it as much of a perspective shift as I could. Sorry if the length of the chapters in this story bothers anyone, I know 5K+ is an unusually long for a fanfiction. As usual big thanks go to **thelittlestteacup,** my brilliant beta. Bitch is awesome.

**Disclaimer: **Come on, is this really necessary? Obviously I own nothing expect my OC's.

**Chapter 3-**

Saiph bit down hard on the anger flaring up within her, and the pain that was threatening to follow. She refused to care what any of them thought. Why should she?

"Firs' years! Firs' years over here!"

The deep holler broke through to her, and she followed a knot of students down the Hogsmeade platform a ways until they all came to a stop in front of the largest man Saiph had ever seen. He was enormous, towering above the sea of students, and had to have been at least part giant. His face was hidden behind a bristly black beard and a mane of unkempt hair, leaving only his eyes visible, little glinting spots of onyx. Saiph took an involuntary step back, only to bump into another kid crushing in behind her. It was very possible that this man was simply here to lure first years away and eat them.

"C'mon, follow me-" he bellowed, waving a massive, meaty hand. "Any more firs' years? Mind yer step, now! Firs' years follow me!"

He led the youngest students off the platform and down a narrow, sloping path in almost the opposite direction to where the older kids where heading. The dark was pressing, and they all trudged along in silence, their only guide being the colossal shadow of the man leading them, blocking out the stars and leaving a silhouette against the night sky. Saiph saw him pause ahead of the group and turn to call over his shoulder;

"Yeh'll get yer firs' sight of Hogwarts in a sec; jus' round this bend here."

Saiph was towards the back of the group, and so she heard the collective gasp from the robed figures in front of her before she herself rounded the curve. The Black Lake spread out before them, smooth as glass, and then resting atop the sheer cliffs on the other side was a vast castle, its countless turrets and towers reaching skywards, the tiny pinpoints of lantern-lights highlighted in each window. Idling on the shore below them was a small fleet a little boats.

"No more'n four to a boat!"

The ground before the water was slippery with mud, and Saiph had to step gingerly over a few of her classmates who had lost their footing, scarcely catching herself from ending up in the sludge as well. It was probably supposed to be charming, this first experience, taking the boats across the lake to Hogwarts. Saiph was inclined to disagree. When she finally made it aboard one of the rocking boats, Coven clinging desperately onto her robes, she was greeted by a familiar face.

"Daphne?" Saiph had completely forgotten the other pure-blood girl would be a first year too.

"Saiph!" The blonde grinned.

They had met before on a number of occasions; mostly dinner parties at the Malfoy's, or one of the other prominent families, and had always gotten along surprisingly well. The Greengrasses were as pure-blooded as they came, yet they tended not to have the stomach for the political games the others played, and so typically kept to themselves for the most part, save the occasional gathering or event. Saiph herself had attended more of them than she'd have liked to admit. She was the last Lestrange, and heir to the substantial family fortune, a fact that the rest of the Sacred Twenty-Eight would not soon forget, and so they were always looking to dig their claws in her. She had learned from a young age how to play their games.

Daphne scooted over and made room for her friend at the stern of the boat. The other two kids they were sharing the vessel with still seemed completely spellbound by the castle, and paid them no mind. Daphne didn't bother with idle chitchat or questions, she knew how to speak her mind and was a generally self-assured girl, and Saiph liked her for it. On the giant man's command the boats pushed themselves off the shore and began gliding seamlessly across the silky water, leaving not the faintest of ripples in their wake. The lake was a perfect, inky mirror of the clear night sky, and from where Saiph sat it appeared as if they were floating through the stars themselves. She leaned over the wooden side and, with practiced precision, quickly tracked down each of her family stars. The Orion constellation stood out like a gem, and her eyes lingered on Bellatrix, the hunter's left shoulder, and then traced down to the pale blue light that was her namesake. If she were to reach out she might almost touch it.

"I wouldn't do that."

Startled, Saiph pulled her hand back, glancing up at the face of the boy sitting in front of her.

"There's supposed to be a giant squid in this lake, my older brother once told me about it," he said; all seriousness.

Saiph gulped. How come spiders were perfectly fine, but the thought of a squid, albeit a giant one, wigged her?

"Heads down!"

Saiph saw that they were approaching the cliff fast, and from this distance she could make out that there was a wide opening at the base, hidden behind a veil of long vines. The first boats had reached it and everyone ducked their heads down low to avoid the swinging ivy, the giant was far too tall though, so he simply brushed the curtain before him aside with a wave of one of his tree trunk arms. They were now travelling along a dimly lit passageway, that seemed to be taking them right under the castle itself, and finally their boats ground ashore in a small underground harbor of sorts. They climbed out of the boats and onto the smooth rocks and pebbles that littered the floor, while the big man went around checking the little crafts. It was just as Saiph was clambering out of her boat, taking Daphne's hand to steady herself, that she nearly stepped on something which she had almost mistaken for a slimy green stone.

"Hey, er- who's lost a toad?" She called out, picking up the creature and holding it distastefully away from herself.

"Trevor!" Came a blissful cry, and a boy rushed over to her, taking the familiar from her hands.

Saiph realized her mistake a moment too late, and Longbottom looked up at her, his indebted expression quickly turning into one of horror that matched her own.

He spluttered something out that was mostly incoherent but might have been "Thank you", and then quickly turned and fled. Saiph was inclined to flee as well, and pulled Daphne along with her to the front of the group. Behind her she could clearly hear Granger's loud voice berating him; "_Neville_, you've got to take better care of him."

"_Okay_," Daphne drew out the word. "What was that all about?"

"Idiot lost his toad," Saiph grunted, deflecting the question.

From the docks they were lead up to the damp grass of the grounds and then to the great oak door of Hogwarts itself. They crowded in around the front entrance, and after their guide had done one last check, he raised a gigantic fist and knocked three times on the castle door. They swung open the instant the last knock connected, and a tall witch with graying black hair gauged them with a severe stare through her fine spectacles.

"The firs' years, Professor McGonagall."

"Thank you, Hagrid. I will take them from here," she spoke in short, clipped tones which Saiph had completely expected from someone of her straight-laced appearance.

Without another word she turned and strode across the entrance hall, the rows of flaming torches that lit the room casting a flickering orange light that glinted off the many picture frames and caught on the polished suits of armour. The first years exchanged glances and then followed after her across the flagged stone floor. They turned before they reached the magnificent marble staircase and were taken into a smaller chamber off the main hall, where most of the nervous students huddled closer than was strictly necessary in the available space.

"Welcome to Hogwarts," the Professor announced, "The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your Houses."

She went on to detail the importance of the Sorting Ceremony, and Saiph found her attention quickly wandering. There were countless more portraits and paintings in this room, all of them filled with different characters, some of them staring curiously down at the gathered first years, but most only giving them a brief glance before returning to whatever they'd been doing, probably bored from having seen this same process and listened to McGonagall's same speech year after year. Saiph couldn't exactly blame them.

"...I hope each of you will be a credit to whichever House becomes yours," McGonagall was saying, though to Saiph it was clear that this was a barely concealed lie, her tone had turned sour the moment she'd mentioned Slytherin. "The Sorting Ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school. I suggest you all smarten yourselves up as much as you can while you are waiting."

She shot a few glares at some of the less presentable students, and then swiftly departed, telling them all to wait quietly. Daphne fidgeted uncharacteristically beside Saiph, repeatedly patting her hair down behind her ears, her nerves apparently getting to her. Somewhere behind them they could hear Granger whispering very fast about every spell she knew, and wondering which one she would need for the ceremony, obviously under the false assumption that it was going to be some sort of test. Tonks had already explained to Saiph all about Godric Gryffindor's tatty old hat; and how it judged each student and decided on where to place them.

Screams suddenly erupted from the back of the chamber, and Saiph whirled around to see twenty or so ghosts pour out of the stonework. They were pale as snow and sort of blurry looking, like your eyes couldn't quite focus on them properly. None of the phantoms had even noticed the first years, despite their exclamations and gasps, and the ghosts seemed to be preoccupied in a heated argument. They floated on past over the student's heads, and Saiph gagged reflexively when the translucent satin of one ghost's trailing robes passed right through her. It felt cold and damp, the chill sinking bone deep and leaving goose bumps on her skin.

"Move along now," a sharp voice called out, "The Sorting Ceremony is about to start."

Professor McGonagall had returned, and the ghosts were already drifting out the opposite wall. The witch lined them all up single file and had them follow her out of the chamber. They walked back across the entrance hall and through a pair of large double doors into the expansive Great Hall. Thousands and thousands of glittering candles hovered in the air above four long tables, seated by the rest of the students, each table covered in golden plates and goblets. Another table crossed the top of the hall where all the professors were sitting. The ceiling high above had clearly been enchanted, for past the candles Saiph could see the shining stars. All eyes were on the first years as Professor McGonagall ushered them between the middle tables and brought them to a halt in a line before the teachers table, turning them around so that they faced back towards the rest of the students. Professor McGonagall disappeared momentarily and returned with a four-legged stool, the pointed Sorting Hat resting on top of it.

There was absolute silence for a few moments, with everyone in the room staring at the hat. And then a broad rip opened up in the brim, the hat made a noise like it was clearing its throat, and then it began to sing. It was a short, and rather ridiculous tune in which the Sorting Hat sang about the Houses and the traits they bore. The only part that stuck with Saiph was the verse about Slytherin House;

_"Or perhaps in Slytherin_

_You'll make your real friends,_

_Those cunning folks use any means_

_To achieve their ends."_

It seemed like even the bloody hat was prejudice against Salazar's House. The whole hall burst into applause as the hat finished its song, though Saiph had to barely disguise a snort. She was sure some of the teachers had heard it, and could practically feel the eyes burning into the back of her neck.

McGonagall moved forward to stand beside the Sorting hat, now holding up a long roll of parchment between her fingertips.

"When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted," she declared, and then; "Abbot, Hannah!"

A short girl, flushed in the face with dirty blonde pigtails stumbled out of the line, perched atop the stool and put on the hat, which fell right down over her eyes.

"HUFFLEPUFF!" The hat shouted clearly.

The table second from the left cheered and clapped as the girl took her seat down with the Hufflepuffs. Another girl was sorted into Hufflepuff, and then a boy named Terry Boot made Ravenclaw. When the first Gryffindor girl was announced, the table on the far left exploded into cheers, and a few catcalls courtesy of two Weasley twins. A thuggish girl, who looked eerily like a female version of Crabbe, stepped up to the stool and placed the hat on her head. Saiph recognized her at once; Millicent Bulstrode, another one of the pure-blood posse. A few seconds later and she was sorted into Slytherin, eliciting a few cheers and claps from the far right table, though Saiph couldn't possibly understand the reason.

"Davis, Tracey!"

The pale looking girl staggered towards the hat, practically shaking with nerves. It took its time placing her, and Saiph could see the hat moving on her head like it was mumbling something. Finally it cried out "SLYTHERIN!" And the girl timidly made her way down to the table.

"Granger, Hermione!" McGonagall called over the hall with in a clear voice.

Saiph silently wished the girl luck, figuring she'd probably need it, as the brunette almost ran to jam the hat eagerly onto her head. The Sorting Hat seemed to be having an internal debate, and it was pushing close to becoming a Hatstall when it at last bellowed; "GRYFFINDOR!"

Someone beside Saiph groaned, but the Gryffindor table applauded as the girl made her way down to them, her mane of brown hair bouncing with each step.

"Greengrass, Daphne!"

Daphne nudged Saiph's elbow and skipped down to the stool, lifting the hat and delicately sliding it down over her flaxen hair. The hat's deliberation was short with placing her;

"SLYTHERIN!" It bellowed.

Beaming, she gracefully found her seat among the other recently sorted first years beneath the serpent banner.

"Humphreys, Christian!"

The hat gave a very audible shrewd sort of chuckle as the boy that Saiph recognized from the train placed it over his head, and it wasn't long before it sorted him into Gryffindor House.

"Lestrange, Saiph!" Saiph almost flinched at the way the old witch, Professor McGonagall, called out her name, like she had just spat out something nasty. The hag didn't even know her.

There was some rustling behind her as a few teachers grunted in shock, and the sparks of whispers spread throughout the older students. They died down quickly as Saiph stepped from assembled first years, she had half expected her legs to lock up on her way down the stage, but was surprised when she managed it with even grace. McGonagall watched her through narrowed eyes, and Saiph brought her chin up stubbornly as she sat down on the stool and pulled the tattered old hat over her head.

"Ah, it's been a long time since I last sorted a Lestrange. Let's see, where shall we put you..." Came a rough murmuring in her ear, "You have daring, not a small amount of courage, Gryffindor could certainly help that to grow...A keen eagerness to learn, very fitting of Ravenclaw House-"

"You already know where you're going to put me, so just get it over with," Saiph hissed, cutting the hat off.

"Hmm...you're right...SLYTHERIN!"

Tearing the hat off, Saiph walked down to her new table amid a sprinkling of applause, and found an empty seat next to the ashen girl she had seen sorted earlier. Daphne was seated across from them, and was frowning furiously.

"That old crone," she fumed, leaning across the table, "What's her problem you reckon?"

Saiph shrugged, feigning ignorance; "Who?"

"Don't play dumb, Lestrange," she said, throwing Saiph a disparaging look, "McGonagall has it out for you."

Saiph's gaze flicked up to the High Table which McGonagall stood before, and the Professor's eyes met hers for a moment, looking down over her nose.

Longbottom had been called up to the stage, and Saiph watched as the timorous boy tripped over his own robes on his way down to the stool. The hat took an exceptionally long time deciding where to put him, and Neville actually looked like he might have been actively arguing with it. Saiph was surprised when it finally shouted, "GRYFFINDOR." Longbottom was apparently just as surprised, because in his shock he completely forgot he still had the hat one, and had to jog back up from the Gryffindor table to hand it to the next first year. The entire Slytherin table, along with almost all the rest of the Great Hall, had erupted with laughter. Saiph was one of the few who didn't join in, though she had to hide a grin behind her sleeve.

"Malfoy, Draco!" The call came a few moments later, and her cousin strode haughtily down to the stool, fitting the hat over his perfectly combed hair with clear aversion.

Though it barely even touched him before screaming out "SLYTHERIN!" Saiph couldn't really blame it for not wanting to spend any more time inside his head. The Slytherin table was cheering and Draco had a smug grin on his face as he joined Crabbe and Goyle.

McGonagall was nearing the end of her ledger now. A Hufflepuff, a Ravenclaw, two twin girls for Gryffindor, and Pansy Parkinson was called for Slytherin. She sneered as she had to take the other seat next to Saiph, twisting in her chair and scooting away a little to talk with one of the older boys. For Saiph the feeling was mutual, she had never liked Parkinson; she was snobby, cruel and dumb as a plank.

There were only a handful more names to be called when-

"Potter, Harry!"

Interests and gossip may have been sparked at the name of Lestrange, but when the Boy-Who-Lived was called to be sorted, the poorly hushed whispers and mutterings spread like unrestrained fiendfyre throughout the hall. Students and teachers alike were craning their necks to try and get a better look or even catch a glimpse of the wizarding world's youngest celebrity.

"Can you believe-?"

"Harry _Potter_!"

"Is it really-?"

Saiph watched as the oversized hat descended over Potter's head, falling right down to his thin shoulders. She found herself waiting with almost baited breath like the rest of her classmates. The hat was taking its time, murmuring in the boy's ear, and he seemed to be muttering something back.

"GRYFFINDOR!" The hat bellowed.

It was the loudest applause yet that swelled across the Great Hall, especially from the crimson and gold bannered table, many students even standing up to clap. Saiph rolled her eyes as she saw one boy, a prefect by the looks of him, actually get up to shake Harry Potter's hand, and the red-haired twins were practically bouncing in their seats shouting, "We got Potter! We got Potter!" Saiph noted that the boy himself just looked relieved, and didn't seem to be taking much of this in as he sat down beside the Gryffindor House ghost; Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington. The ethereal figure patted the boy's arm in congratulations, and Saiph winced in sympathy. Slytherin's own ghost, the Bloody Baron, was currently hovering above the chair next to Draco Malfoy, and her cousin didn't look too happy about the seating arrangements.

There were only four people left after that. One was the Weasley from Potter's compartment, and he was looking veritably sick with fret, his freckled face a strange shade of green. After a few moments on the stool he was, unsurprisingly, sorted into Gryffindor with the rest of his family. The very last boy to be sorted was Blaise Zabini, a pure-blood she had met several times before, and one who had often chosen to sit beside her and engage or include her in conversations at various gatherings. His mother was a famously beautiful witch who, through her seven marriages, had developed quite the reputation as a gold-digger, and Saiph was inclined to believe that Zabini's interest in her was probably crafted by the woman's intent. Like mother like son.

Professor McGonagall had rolled the scroll up and carried it away with the Sorting Hat, and now returned to take her seat at the High Table with all the other faculty members. The large man who had guided them earlier, Hagrid, was dominating the far end closest to the Gryffindor row, and Saiph easily recognized a few of the other professors, her new Head of House, the potions master Severus Snape, among them. He was remarkably young to hold such a position, and Saiph supposed that for him to have landed the job there would have had to have been a stark lack in available Slytherin House teachers after the great wizarding war. Right now the sallow man's gaze was directed at something across the room, and following his stare Saiph found the subject of it was, unsurprisingly, Harry Potter. He was starting to seem like the focus of the entire evening.

Suddenly Professor Snape's eyes snapped down to meet her own, catching her watching him. Saiph had seen it a hundred times; the flash of recognition that passed through him, but what followed caught her off guard. She was used to distaste, occasionally outright hate, and sometimes in particularly disconcerting cases; even admiration. But Severus Snape looked at her, knowing full well who she was, with complete indifference. He simply didn't care. Saiph thought she might just actually like her Head of House.

Snape broke their contact, leaning back in his chair just as the Headmaster stood from his own. If she hadn't known better, Saiph never would have guessed that the man before them, Albus Dumbledore, was the greatest wizard of his time. He was tall, yes, but very thin and exceptionally old, both his lengthy hair and beard streaked with grey and silver. Yet somehow despite this, his eyes were still light and bright beneath his half-moon spectacles, which were perched on the end of his long, crooked nose, and Saiph suspected he still had plenty of life left in him. There was a wide smile on his face as he spread his arms open and looked down upon all the faces in his hall.

"Welcome!" He greeted them, "Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Before we begin our banquet, I would like to say a few words. And here they are: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak!"

No, Saiph thought, he definitely didn't seem like the same powerful sorcerer all the books read about.

Everyone was clapping and cheering at his declaration, and even Saiph had to fight to stop her lips from twisting up into a smile. With a nearly inaudible _pop_ the gleaming silver plates and golden goblets laid out on their tables where suddenly piled high with food. Saiph let herself grin. She had thought her aunt Andromeda's cooking had been something, now she couldn't even list all the dishes before them. Picking up her fork she speared a couple of potatoes and dropped them on her plate, then reached for the large bowl laden with salad.

She felt someone prod her in the elbow and glanced over to meet a pair of soft brown doe eyes in a pale, heart shaped face, framed by a chocolate fringe. It took Saiph a moment to recall the girl's name; Tracey Davis.

"Ex-excuse me-" the girl tremulously gestured for the salad.

Saiph shrugged and passed it over, as Daphne leaned across and skewered a medium rare steak.

"So," the blonde started, engaging the new girl, "What's your story, Davis?"

"Oh," she smiled nervously. "N-no story really. I'm from London, live with my dad."

"Not a lot of Muggle-Borns get sorted into Slytherin," Saiph muttered, taking a sip from her goblet, and then instantly regretting it. What was it with wizards and pumpkin juice? Saiph _hated_ pumpkin juice.

"How did you-?"

"It's kinda obvious," Daphne interjected. "Hey, don't worry about it."

"I-I'm a half-blood. My mother was a witch," Tracey explained. "She just- well, never really told my dad about it."

"Let me guess," Daphne grinned, "Couple of months ago a man in robes came to your house with a letter."

Tracey nodded, surprised; "That was the first we ever heard about magic or this place."

"Well, Davis, you are brave, I'll give you that, coming to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry with virtually zero knowledge of magical practices nor the means to cast even the simplest of spells."

Saiph had been smirking the whole time, and as she watched Tracey's face visibly pale even further, she couldn't hold it back anymore. She broke into laughter, coming dangerously close to spilling her drink as she placed it back down on the table.

Daphne just smirked at the girl's now confused expression. "I'm just messing with you. You're gonna do fine, trust me."

"Oh, t-thank you."

"Daphne Greengrass," the young pure-blood proffered her hand across the table, and Tracey tentatively shook it.

"Saiph Lestrange," Saiph put in when she managed to stop chuckling.

The feast went on and the trio continued talking and eating. Apparently Tracey and her father didn't actually live too far from Grimmauld Place, and she had probably walked past the enchanted home dozens of times on her way to and from her old Muggle school. When Tracey started talking about movies she liked, Saiph mentioned that she had just recently seen 'The Terminator', and Daphne gave her a queer look that made the raven haired witch blush scarlet and quickly change the subject.

Daphne confessed the class she was most interested in was Transfiguration, and then, shockingly, Tracey stated she was actually looking forward to History of Magic, possibly the dullest subject the school had to offer. Tonks had sworn she'd actually passed out from sheer boredom during one of Professor Binns' lectures once. Personally, Saiph was keen on Defence Against the Dark Arts, though she had heard the new Professor's teachings left something to be desired. She thought his name was Quirrell, and from what she had seen of him he appeared an anxious, edgy sort of man, who wore an oversized purple turban over his head.

Dessert was even more superfluous than dinner had been, and by the time the last plate had been cleared Saiph felt like she could have fallen asleep right there on the dining table. Chatter around the Great Hall had been growing more languid as the evening progressed, and when Professor Dumbledore rose to his feet again all talk ceased completely.

"Ahem- just a few more words now that we are all fed and watered. I have a few start-of-term notices to give you."

Saiph had been resting her forehead on her hands atop the table, her hair spilling out like a dark halo around her head. The Headmasters pronouncement had caught her interest however, and she lifted her head in order to listen in better.

"First years should note that the forest on the grounds is forbidden to...all pupils. And a few of our older students would do well to remember that as well."

Saiph thought she saw his eyes flash momentarily towards the Gryffindor table while he spoke, but she could have easily been imagining it.

"I have also been asked by Mr. Filch, the caretaker, to remind you all that no magic should be used between classes in the corridors."

Tonks had informed Saiph all about the smarmy old porter, Mr Filch. It was almost as if he had a grudge against just about every student that came through the school, and Tonks had guessed that he was probably a Squib, and thought it would have definitely explain his bitterness. Saiph wasn't sure there had ever been a Squib in her family; though it was possible she had a cousin or second cousin who was one. It was difficult to be sure though, as he would have been burnt off the family tapestry long ago.

The Headmaster was still talking, and when he mentioned Quidditch, Saiph's attention was immediately with him again. She normally wasn't big on school spirit, but she enjoyed Quidditch, and hadn't had a proper chance to fly since she had moved in with her aunt.

"...Trials will be held in the second week of term. Anyone interested in playing for their House teams should contact Madam Hooch."

"Forget it Lestrange," Daphne whispered across to Saiph, "First years aren't allowed. Plus girls never 'make the cut' for Slytherin team anyway. My aunt graduated last year, told me all about it. It's that troll of a captain, Flint, he never lets us play."

"Figures," Saiph muttered under her breath.

"...And finally, I must tell you that this year, the third-floor corridor on the right-hand side is out of bounds to everyone who does not wish to die a painful death."

Something about the way the old man said it, the hard edge to his eyes when he spoke, made a slight chill shiver down Saiph's spine.

Tracey squirmed in her seat beside her; "He was joking...right?"

Saiph didn't know how to answer, and Daphne just shrugged as well.

"And now before we go to bed, let us sing the school song!" Dumbledore cried, bouncing back from serious to jovial in a heartbeat, and Saiph knew she saw Professor Snape grimace for a moment before quickly plastering clearly forced smile on his face.

A golden ribbon sprang from the end of the Headmaster's wand, twisting itself to form the lyrics above the hall.

And so the school sang. And Saiph instantly understood why her Head of House had cringed. It was worse than the Sorting Hat song, with every person singing along to a completely different tune, so the whole hall was filled with a nonsensical racket like an atrocious attempt at the whole school singing in rounds.

Professor Dumbledore was one of those who clapped the loudest when it was finally over.

"Ah, music," he seemingly wiped a tear from his eye, "A magic beyond all we do here! And now, bedtime. Off you trot!"

Saiph slid out of her seat and straightened her robes, Daphne and Tracey shortly following suite. A Slytherin prefect, Gemma Farley, called for all of their House's first years to follow her to the Slytherin Common Room, and Saiph fell in behind her. The other Houses dispersed in different directions as they exited the Great Hall, but Farley began leading them deeper into the school. The castle was impossibly massive, with passageways and staircases branching off at irregular intervals that made Saiph question if it was actually possible that their guide knew where they were going. They seemed to be going lower into the school, and the corridors were getting darker and danker as they went. If Saiph had to hazard a guess, she would have said they had to have been somewhere under the Black Lake by now.

Then suddenly Farley brought them to a halt in front of a plain grey stone wall with no distinguishing features.

"Are we lost?" Tracey asked from behind her.

"The password changes every fortnight, this week its _quicksilver_," Gemma Farley uttered, and the stonework before them seemed to click in response, and slowly morphed into two wide arched doors.

Saiph stepped through after the prefect and then had to pause and take the sight in. The Common Room was almost as large as the entrance hall, with a huge roaring fireplace built into one wall. The floor was spaced with many low-backed chairs and long couches, each decorated with silver and dark green motifs, and the free walls were hung with tapestries depicting acts and adventures of different famous Slytherins. The most incredible thing though, was the broad windows set into the far wall, the glass looking out into the depths of the lake itself, and painting the room with an eerie green light.

"This is your new Common Room," Farley announced, "Feel free to make use of it for study, or simply to socialize during your free time between classes. The girls dorms are down to your right, and the boys are the same on the left."

The first years split into their separate gender groups, and Saiph found herself padding down the short flight of stairs and into the girls dormitories with the rest of the girls. Each year had their own separate accommodation within the dorms, and Saiph saw that other than Daphne and Tracey, her two other new roommates would regretfully be Millicent Bulstrode and Pansy Parkinson, though the girls seemed too tired now to shoot her anything more than some slightly spiteful glares.

The dorms were equipped with ancient four poster beds, fixed with green silk hangings and bedspreads embroidered with silver thread, and there were several more rounded windows looking out into the lake. Saiph found her school trunk by her bedside, and Coven was lounged atop the coverlet, her ungainly paws stretched out in front of her. Exhaustion had crept up on Saiph over the course of the evening, and she was already half asleep as she pulled her robes off, changing into a plain camisole and loose fitting pants before clambering into her bed.

From the bed next to her she heard a nearly incoherent mumble of; "'Night, Lestrange."

"Goodnight, Greengrass," Saiph hummed in response, the reply muffled slightly by her pillow.


End file.
